The quest for perfection...

Nobody’s perfect.  We all have some physical ‘flaws’ we’d like to improve.  We want perfect skin, a perfect waistline, perfect teeth.  The question is- why?  Perhaps part of the problem (particularly for women) is that we’re constantly bombarded of images of ‘perfect’ people.  Celebrities from actors to rock stars taunt us daily with their perfectly coifed hair, perfectly buffed arms and perfectly airbrushed skin.  But- just like us, they get divorced, lose loved ones, develop breast cancer, you name it.  No one has a perfect life.When it comes to our health, no one is perfect either.  But sadly, we make it worse by overly restricting the foods we eat, skipping sleep to get up and do the most strenuous workouts or beating ourselves up over a piece of birthday cake consumed.  I have heard too many sad stories of women that were told they were fat as kids and never got over it.  They run the cycle of diet, cheat, repent, repeat over and over- never achieving any type of health goal, but just punishing themselves over and over for eating- one of the most basic pleasures of life!I wish we could all appreciate the bodies we were given and stop berating ourselves for the “imperfections” we see in the mirror.  That extra 10 lbs. we might be carrying could be from the baby you delivered 6 months ago.  What a miracle to have a child!  That cake you ate over the weekend tells everyone you’ve lived another year.  And the sleep you missed to get that workout in might be just what you needed to be a happier, less stressed out person.In my opinion, we need to lighten up.  Let’s start celebrating our bodies rather than tearing them down.   Eat and drink in moderation.  Enjoy your food.  Stop punishing yourself for the number on the scale and the size of jeans you wear.   Aren’t you more than just the number?  We only get one body to live in.  Respect it.  Love it.   Accept that no one is perfect!